Fly Fishing The Missouri/mississippi River

[esox niger]

Ive been fishing connected creeks with some success this year. caught more big fish this year than the last 18years combined. ill just chalk that up to lots of time spent closer to home fishing the brown water, and some serious unemployment as well. you should see the guides on my rod that are 1/2 worn through and my line with thousands of little cracks in it.. anyway to the point...ive started to scout around the missouri, with the water down its alot easier to get out on the wing dams and even get the kayak out there sometimes, but ive had very little luck. anyone have any pointers as far as tactics locations and good all round flys. I supose im targeting catfish and the white/hybrid/stripped bass. mostly fishing floating line and 1/40th ounce lead eye flies....mostly white/yellow rabbit strips and brown ddh flies 2-4 inches long. id like to find areas with shallows where i could perhaps stalk fish early morning or even at night..im not sure where that would be or if i have a hunch i dont know how to access. i guess i could check out the old chain of rocks bridge ....been to alton dam but I feel a bit out of place with my fly rod. chesterfield valley is my closest access point.

thanks

[esox niger]

well 35 views and no replys, kinda how i expected this thread to go.

[JONBOY]

A buddy of mine went down on a slough off the Missouri, out past the strip malls in chesterfield and the Spirit of St. Louis Airport. Google maps say Centaur Chute. He had good luck there with a worm and bobber.

[strangercreek]

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[esox niger]

i just made it out to a sandbar that id seen on google maps, wasnt sure i could kayak out to it, but it was a breeze. talk about alot of accessible water. but wouldnt you know it, the river is rocketing up...how long are the cats hitting the shallows to feed. do they keep coming into the fall and winter. figure they disapear in the winter...if the water comes back down i might get into some fish out there. great night and early morning spot i would imagine just need the river at 14ft or below. fingers crossed thats sooner than later.

[ekl-stl]

You have discovered an incredible fishing resource.. that you are at the mercy of.. Cats are caught all year.. some of the best blue cat fishing on the river is done in the winter. Lower water tends to congregate them as well.. fall fishing for white bass heats up in October.. Try small rivers that connect to the Mississippi as well as creeks..

[fishgypsy]

My only experience is on the middle Missouri and Osage Rivers, and I haven't done it that much. It's fun, though.

If you're targeting blue cats, I'd suggest fishing behind (downstream) of wing dykes, particularly in January and February- that's when they begin spawning, and they'll rest in the eddies downstream of those. I'd also recommend a full sink line, as those eddies are often 30-40 feet deep. Clousers, Decievers, and bunny flies in baitfish colors (gray/white, Olive/White, Chartreuse/White), seem to work, as well as bunny patterns and articulated leech type flies. Especially flies with rattles, big deer-hair heads, or something else which pushes water and makes a disturbance.

5 to 6 inch flies seem to be the most productive, but bigger flies may equate to fewer, but bigger fish. Most all of the fish I've caught are in the 2-5 pound range. Biggest was around 30, but that was with electrofishing gear

Another area you may want to focus on is creek mouths- frequently a bunch of different species will congregate there- channel, blue, and flathead catfish, sauger, walleye, white bass, and skipjack herring, which can be pretty sporting on light tackle. There also excellent areas to try for asian carp.

As for Chain of Rocks...be careful, especially late winter into early spring, late January through the middle of March or so. It's a major breeding site for all three species of sturgeon and blue suckers. It's fun watching lake sturgeon- fish up to 4 and 5 feet long, over 40 lbs, who are older than me and have been around for a couple hundred million years, rolling on the surface and chasing each other around and generally going about their business. But targeting them or the federally listed pallid sturgeon is, I believe, illegal.

Hope that helps!

[Dave Cook]

That reminds me about fishing for walleye at the Osage - Missouri confluence. Good thing he isn't looking for walleye.